If you’ve ever wished to carry the Amazon Echo Dot or Google Home around with you, then a battery pack from Ninety7 could be the right up your street.
The accessory company is aiming to make the virtual assistant toting smart speakers more portable with its Dox battery pack for the Echo Dot that can keep the small speaker ticking along for 10 hours away from the mains, while the Loft battery base offers the same function for the Google Home but with only eight hours of electrical juice on offer.
Adding a battery pack to the Google Home effectively turns it into a portable speaker with a bevvy of smart features, thanks to the on-board Google Assistant.
But with the Echo Dot the battery pack adds a decent dollop of height and bulk to the gadget in exchange for making it portable. Given the Echo Dot is more designed as a Alexa hub rather than a speaker, it’s difficult to really see the advantage of making it portable and a lot more conspicuous at the same time.
Ninety7 does offer the Vaux, a portable speaker for the Echo Dot to plug into, which would seem like the more logical option in getting the most out of a portable Echo Dot.
Currently the Dox is on sale directly from Ninety7 for $29.95/£22, while for a little more the Vaux, going for $49.95/£36, arguably offers more value and functionality for the money. The Loft is on offer for $39.95/£29.
Related: Amazon Echo vs Google Home
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.